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1913] INTERVIEW WITH FERDINAND 233
paper correspondent,1 So-and-so. . . . How did it
please you?" The King spoke in French, but, as his
custom was, he interlarded his sentences with Russian
words and expressions; these expressions were
generally apt and correctly used, but pronounced with quite
a foreign accent. " As for me, I have read the vile book
attentively, and I was glouboko vosmouchten.2 I gave it
to my son to read, and he will tell you his impression
of it," he continued, turning to Boris.
The latter, with an expression of perfect obedience
on his face, half rose from his chair, and turning to me
stammered out, "Yes, monsieur, I too was glouboko
vosmouchten."
" I believe you know the gentleman very well ?"
continued the King, turning to me again.
I realised that the King wished to appear to believe
that the pamphlet in question had been inspired by me.
I parried the thrust by replying in my most
cutting-tones that I did not know the correspondent; that I
had once refused to see him, and that he had published
something offensive about me as well—"a fact which
Your Majesty, who knows all, cannot but be aware of."
This was the absolute truth. I had actually forbidden
my house to this gentleman, who had arrived in Sofia
at the time of the mobilisation, and who had sent to his
newspaper some absurd telegrams abusive of the
Bulgarian Government and ill-natured about the Russian
Legation. But I ought to mention that one of m}’ minor
subordinates—a contemptible and scheming individual
—had allowed himself, unknown to me, to present this
journalist to Danev, and had probably supplied him
with a few details about the Court of Sofia, details
which he himself had obtained through his intimacy
with the servants at the Palace. This same individual
spied on his chiefs—the Russian Ministers—on
Ferdinand’s behalf.
1 Such an insignificant person that I have forgotten his name, nor
do I remember to what second-class newspaper he was correspondent.
2 Highly indignant.
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